This invention relates generally to recycling a used fluid filter, and more particularly to kneading a used fluid filter.
An economically and environmentally better way of dealing with vehicle and equipment used oil filters is needed. That major need for solutions to the problems of preventing waste and pollution in general has prompted federal and state governments to establish offices dedicated to conserving and recovering resources, planning for waste management and promoting the increased recycling of problem materials.
The need of some states' market development priorities is for a process or technology that accomplishes toxicity reduction and conservation of resources, and must recycle the majority of components of the problem material in a way that is more cost-effective, recovers more of the material for recycling, or prepares the material for higher value use than existing processes or technologies. Nonrecyclable residuals should be minimized and must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
"Problem Material" means a material that, when it is processed or disposed of with mixed municipal solid waste, contributes to one or more of the following results: (1) the release of a hazardous substance, or pollutant, or contaminant (2) pollution of water (3) air pollution or (4) a significant threat to the safe or efficient operation of a solid waste facility. "Post-consumer material" means material generated by a business or a consumer that has served its intended end use and has been separated from solid waste for collection and recycling. "Recyclable material" is a post-consumer material that can presently be recycled or that demonstrates potential to be recycled. Motor and vehicle fluids and filters are among some states' priority projects for the development of new recycling technologies, recycling capacity, or recycled-content products for problem materials.
The significant pollution problems caused by the disposal of vehicle used oil filters has led to additional restrictions for dealing with vehicle used oil filters. Currently various standards may apply to the handling, disposal or recycling of vehicle used oil filters. EPA standards may differ from State standards. Some states permit landfills to accept used oil filters, other states impose restrictions, while still other states refuse to accept these filters at all in state landfills. For example, Wisconsin landfills presently will only accept vehicle used oil filters that have been drained from a warm engine to increase the amount of oil drained out of the filter while neighboring Minnesota landfills refuses all vehicle used oil filters completely.
A major problem to recycling vehicle used oil filters is that draining and crushing filters may still fail to remove over 90% of the oil contaminants which some mills require before accepting any crushed metal for recycling. When neither the recycling mills nor the state landfills will accept those filters as is, what to do with these used oil filters becomes a more important problem. There also would be a benefit to finding a way to reduce the transportation costs and pollution of vehicle used oil filters and to reduce the volume displaced at the landfill of vehicle used oil filters.
An example of an apparatus for severing an oil filter, separating the filter's components, and then crushing the filter components to facilitate recycling or waste disposal is disclosed in Tasch et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,754 which produces recycling materials that are dropped into separate receptacles, one for the filter plates, one for the crushed filter elements and one for the crushed filter canisters. Additionally, an oil pan collects a volume of oil drained upon severing the filter plate from filter canister.
The apparatus utilizes in part a fixed front plate, a small vertical wall, a separator plate, a crushing plate and a moveable back plate, all perpendicular to the table top.
A plurality of rotatable wheel cutters move radially into contact with the outer periphery of the filter canister to support the canister, captured behind the cutter wheels. A rotatable block carrying sharp horizontally projecting impaling pins which penetrate the bottom of the filter. A rotary air wrench drives the rotary block to sever the filter plate from the filter canister. A filter element gripper mechanism retracts the filter element from the filter canister and then drops the filter element between the separating plate and a short height vertical wall. The filter canister drops between the separator plate and crushing plate. Tandem air cylinders have air cylinder rods that extend and retract horizontally causing the moveable back plate to move horizontally along the table top. The back plate moves toward the front plate thereby serially crushing the filter canister and element. Thus, the materials are dropped into separate receptacles, one for the filter plates, one for the crushed filter elements and one for the crushed filter canisters.
Some prior practices in this case are considered to be substantially exemplified by Negas U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,479 which utilizes a oil filter crusher that includes a cylinder with a dome, a base plate and a movable platform located along the cylinder. An oil filter is placed with its longitudinal axis aligned vertically onto the platform. The user presses a button, the platform moves upwardly, ramming the oil filter against the base plate and crushing it into nearly a twisted hockey puck shape. The crushed filter is subsequently removed manually.
A drawback to known devices and methods for severing an oil filter, separating the filter's components, and then crushing the filter components to facilitate recycling or waste disposal is the several parts and steps required and the amount of time required to process a filter. Although, in general, known devices that use a filter ramming platform have performed satisfactorily, some of those devices have not been found to be entirely suitable in applications where processing two or more filters simultaneously and expressing over 90% of oil from the used oil filter is a major requirement.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for providing a method and apparatus for kneading a used oil filter that uses fewer separating parts and shortens filter processing time. Another need is to provide for processing two or more filters simultaneously and for expressing over 90% of oil from the used oil filter to make the filter suitable for metal recycling.
It therefore is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for kneading a used oil filter that uses fewer separating parts and shortens filter processing time. Another object is to provide for processing two or more filters simultaneously. A further object is to provide for expressing over 90% of oil from the used oil filter to make the filter suitable for metal recycling.